More Than Amnesty

Neither every moment nor every aspect of pastoral ministry enthralls. However, I am convinced—through the study of the Word and pastoral life within the local church—that every endeavor to promote connection between God and his people is nothing short of participation in God’s intention for the universe.

Said another way: laboring towards genuine, God-besotted, gospel-community is laboring with the grain of the universe, not against it. And because this is true, our labors to cultivate this type of community are always deeply meaningful, whether we palatably perceive it in every moment or not.

Furthermore, in my experience, as summertime ends and the school year begins, people tend to be more inclined to involve themselves in this type of genuine, God-besotted, gospel-community in a local church. They sign up to serve in the nursery; they join the worship team; they commit to a small group Bible study.

This year, in order to celebrate the beauty of these commitments and the reconciliation which was hard-won for us by Jesus Christ, I reworked a poem I wrote a few years ago. It’s called, “More Than Amnesty.”

Amnesty means one group has pardoned another group of wrongdoing. But amnesty doesn’t necessarily mean the two groups are now reconciled, and it certainly does not imply that they are friends; it merely means they are neutral.

In the gospel, we have far more than amnesty. Yes, God has pardoned, but the sacrificial death of the Son of God does not bring us into a neutral relationship with God, a merely pardoned relationship.

Rather, through the gospel, we are reconciled with God; we are made his friends; we become beloved sons and beloved daughters of God. That is more than amnesty. And this is what we were made for.

May God stir deeper longings in our hearts for this type of genuinely God-besotted, gospel-community. And may God enable our churches to make greater progress towards it.

* * *

More Than Amnesty

In God’s likeness with no shameEve and Adam rule and reignStretching glory ‘cross the earth‘til they doubted God’s great worth

Now scorched and frayed and fracturedFather’s connection shatteredLike concrete cracked with hammerChange Garden’s bliss to clamor

A willful grab for powerCaused Paradise to sourNow a fire guarded gateNone will circumnavigate

So flounder, flop, flail—long yearsTry to fix, yet smudge and smearsTo sin’s shackles bondage boundWith no way by man yet found

But wait, but wait, oh—but waitupon us no crushing weightNow the curse of sin undoneBy the beauty of the Son

More than our forgiven debtWe have deepest longings metMore, more, more than amnestyA blood adhered family

Restored, redeemed, reconciledChildren no longer exiledNow, the Father holds us dear“I will be your God,” we hear

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